CHAPTER VIII.
WHEN THE UHLANS CAME.
When Rob Blake made this startling explanation of the loud cries fromwithout, his two companions started up from the table in dismay. Theycould easily understand that the coming of the German cavalrymen justthen threatened them with unpleasant consequences.
If they were mistaken for English boys they might expect not only roughtreatment, but possibly find themselves railroaded into Germany, withone of those terrible dungeons in a Rhine fortress as their destination.
Perhaps even Tubby began to deplore the fact that he chanced to bewearing a Boy Scout khaki suit, and a campaign hat besides; with theleggings that scouts in the States have adopted instead of the woolenstockings used by other branches of the organization abroad.
If pride must have a fall, Tubby began to experience the first twingesof regret at that moment as he scrambled to his feet, and waited to hearwhat Rob or Merritt would say.
"It may be only a false alarm," Merritt suggested. "These poor peoplehave been seeing imaginary regiments of Uhlans ever since war wasdeclared."
"But they're making oodles of noise, anyhow!" Tubby protested.
"We can soon find out if it's so," said Rob, hurrying over to one of thewindows, which were partly screened with flimsy curtains, through whichany person from the inside could look out, but which would preventscrutiny from the village street, except when the lamps were lightedlater.
They quickly saw that their worst fears were realized. Down the streetat least fifty horsemen were riding. The fact that they carried lancesand wore the customary spiked helmets of the German troopers told Rob aswell as words could have done that at last they were gazing on thefar-famed Uhlans.
They were not at all the fierce-appearing warriors the boys may havepictured them, having the Russian Cossacks in mind at the time. Indeed,a number seemed to be laughing heartily, doubtless on account of theevident terror their presence had apparently inspired in the breasts ofthe villagers. And some of them were rosy-cheeked young fellows, who,shorn of their military accouterments, would have struck the scouts asgood-natured German youths.
Others, however, were more grim and haughty, as though they thought ittheir duty to impress these stubborn Belgians with a due sense of theirimportance as factors to be dealt with.
It was a thrilling sight to see those hard-riding soldiers of the Kaisercoming along the village street, with people staring at them from opendoors and windows, yet none daring to utter a word of protest. Fear waswritten largely on nearly every face, though doubtless there were alsothose who viewed the coming of the hated Uhlans with illy suppressedrage. Perhaps they had lost some dear one during the battles that hadalready been fought around Liege and other places; or in the destructionof Louvain.
"Rob, don't you see they're heading right this way?" whispered Tubbysuddenly, after they had watched the stirring picture for a minute orso.
"Yes, that's a fact," replied Rob. "Let's hope they mean to only ridethrough the village, and leave by the other side."
"Gee! I hope now they won't fall in love with our horses, and run themoff!" ventured Tubby, excited by his fears in that respect; for Tubbydid not like to walk any more than he could possibly help.
"Not much danger in that line," scoffed Merritt. "But look at thatofficer in front of the column--he's pointing right this way, younotice, Rob, and is saying something to another rider close behind him."
"Oh! can he have seen us?" wailed Tubby, no doubt having very positivevisions of prison life before him just then, with solitary confinementon a diet of bread and water, which was the worst punishment he couldimagine.
"That's impossible," Rob instantly assured him. "The chances are he'sdiscovered this inn, and is telling the other officer they may be ableto secure something to eat, and a bottle of wine here. Their men canpick up supper through the place, making the poor people furnish themeal, or have their houses knocked about their ears."
"But if they come in here do we want to stay and be arrested for Englishspies?" asked Merritt; whereat Tubby's lips could be seen to move,although no words came forth, while he anxiously waited for Rob todecide.
The other had already made up his mind.
"That would be foolish on our part," he told Merritt, "and unnecessaryin the bargain. They may only stop for five minutes to drink wine, andthen go on again, because they know they're in the enemy's country here.We must find a place to hide till they leave. Come along with me,fellows."
Now it happened that Rob had never forgotten one of the things allscouts are enjoined to impress upon their minds; which is to observe themost minute detail wherever they happen to be. In the woods this facultyfor observation had often served the patrol leader a good turn, and thesame thing happened now.
While sitting there and enjoying the warm supper which the keeper of thevillage inn had spread before them, Rob had taken note of hissurroundings. Thus he knew just where the stairs leading to the upper_etage_ or floor of the inn was located; and also that it could not beeasily seen from the door leading to the street.
He led Tubby and Merritt over to the stairs.
"We'll slip up here," he told them, for a quick glance around hadassured Rob that no one was watching them.
Most of those who had been around the tavern hurried outside at thefirst sign of alarm, and were now gaping at the coming troop. Theproprietor, guessing that his establishment would be the first object ofattention on the part of the invading enemy, was wildly striving toconceal certain valuables he possessed under a board in the floor,where, perhaps, he also kept his choicest wines.
Once the scouts had climbed aloft they managed to gain a sort of garretwhere broken furniture and hair-covered trunks seemed to be stored.
"This will answer us as well as any other place," Rob told them, as heclosed the door, and managed to push a heavy trunk against it.
"And there are two little peephole windows, too, for all the world likeeye-glasses, but big enough for us to see through," Tubby remarked,groping his way among the collection of riffraff with which the garretwas encumbered, until he found himself able to kneel and look throughthe dusty glass of a window.
"They're spreading all over the place," he immediately announced, "andmaking the village people get supper ready for them. Chances are, too,they won't whack up a red cent for all they eat and drink. Whee! so thisis war, is it? Well, all I can say is it's a mighty mean game."
"Some of them have come into the inn," ventured Merritt. "I can hearheavy voices below us, German voices, too. You know sound travels upwalls like everything. And there's a heap of bustle going on below, asif the landlord, his wife and everybody else might be on the jump towait on the Uhlan guests."
"Can you blame them?" said Tubby, "when like as not if they said nothey'd find a torch put to their house? Rob, you don't think they'llcome up here, do you?"
"Oh! hardly, unless they take to ransacking the house for valuables, ormore wine. They must know time is too valuable for that, because thereare Belgian forces all around this place who might drop in on them. No,they'll get a hurried bite and then be off again."
For some little time they continued to listen to the confused soundsthat came to their ears. Considerable shouting from the street testifiedto the fact that some of the soldiers might be acting, as Tubbyexpressed it, "rough-house"; and although the light outside wascommencing to grow rather dim, looking through the window they sawseveral instances where a soldier struck some half grown boy who mayhave acted in a sullen fashion, or declined to do what he was told.
All at once there was a shot!
This was followed by a great outcry, in which loud German voices couldbe heard giving orders. A scrambling downstairs announced that theofficers who had been eating at the inn were hurriedly rejoining theircommand.
"Are the Belgian troops coming, Rob?" asked Tubby, finding it impossibleto see what was going on, because he had been unable to open his window,as the others had done.
"No, it must have been s
ome desperate villager sniping from a house,"replied Rob; and a minute later he continued hastily: "Yes, they'recarrying a Uhlan to his horse, and threatening the people with guns andlances."
"Oh! I hope now they don't start in to shooting the poor things down!"cried the sympathetic Tubby, wringing his hands, though hardly consciousof what he was doing.
"They've rushed into the house next to this," Merritt now exclaimed,"and seem to be searching it, which tells me the party who fired, man orboy, must have been concealed there!"
"Gee! that's getting pretty near home!" muttered Tubby.
"Rob, did you see that puff of smoke coming out of the house then?"Merritt presently demanded, almost bursting with the excitement.
"Yes, I'm sorry to say I do see it," replied the leader of the EaglePatrol, as he continued to look downward. "They've set fire to thebuilding; and what bothers me most of all is the wind coming straightthis way. I'm afraid it means the inn will take fire too, and like asnot be burned to the ground!"